


Polaris

by baeconandeggs



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, M/M, age gap, but really doesn't play a big role in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 09:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14690922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs
Summary: AUTHOR:byungorengBaekhyun waits tables at an old-fashioned diner attached to a highway rest stop, in the middle of nowhere. One day a man pulls up in an open-top car, dressed sharply in a suit, looking magazine-perfect even though its a million degrees out in the desert. Baekhyun looks at him, wondering who he is and where he came from.





	Polaris

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt #:** BAE144  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
>  
> 
> **Author's Note:** Hello! First of all I would like to give my thanks to the prompter, who gave an interesting yet challenging prompt for me to write. And to the mods, for helping and guiding (not to mention for being patient) with my dumb ass throughout this whole fest uwu. I haven't written in a very long time, so any dissatisfaction upon reading the fic is highly regretted and I apologise. I'll definitely try harder for my future works. Oh, and think of it as some weird soulmate AU where they fall in love in a blink of an eye! Again, thank you and enjoy! :D

In the middle of nowhere, lies a diner. A retro, old-fashioned one; filled with tacky furniture and décor inspired by the 50s and the 60s, the one where you would definitely feel like you’re traveling back in time as soon as you’d enter it. And the music? Well, the owner, Kim Minseok already has a playlist of all the top hits from that era, blasting through the square speakers on the corners of the walls.

It was corny but lively nonetheless.

A bit opposed from their outdoors, which was nothing but a blanket of sand, sunshine and clear skies.

The diner wasn’t lonely, it was attached to a highway rest stop that provided hospitality for travelers at times. Although who would’ve even thought to even build those establishments in the scorching desert, out of all places. Apparently for Minseok, he saw that as an opportunity to escape the bustling city life.

So he had wealthy parents and used some of his old money to build the retro diner because he loved the concept when he grew up watching classic cartoons and movies during his childhood.

The highway rest stop was nothing much, it had a motel as well.

Of course, he needed employees. His lifelong friend, and hopefully not a one-sided crush Jongdae, agreed to help him thus he was hired as the cook. They managed with only the two of them, mostly because there weren’t as many customers as you’d expected it to be.

But on one chilly midnight, Minseok was surprised to find a lanky 23-year old on the front door of the diner. He immediately called Jongdae to help the boy and they ended up talking with the stranger until dawn.

It appears that the boy, named Byun Baekhyun, got lost and tried to seek help when his car crashed two kilometres from the diner after he lost control of it while driving. Luckily he didn’t suffer any serious injuries, although there were minor scrapes and bruises here and there.

“Thanks to your blinding neon signboard, though.” He chuckled, as he continued to wipe his face with a towel and chugged a glass of water. “Maybe tomorrow you can help me throw away the stupid old car.”

Minseok and Jongdae later found out that Baekhyun tried to ran away from home, which they decided not to pressure him to find out his reasons, or at least now’s not a suitable time to do so. In the meantime, Minseok asked if Baekhyun was interested to stay at the diner for a while and become a server. Fortunately for them, Baekhyun accepted the offer.

And who knew, that working at an isolated diner would lead Baekhyun to someone he would never forget.

 

* * *

 

 

Baekhyun likes to work at night, because the temperature is lower during that time and he enjoys sitting outside by himself to admire the vista, especially the twinkling stars. Sometimes it would remind him of his home, and before you know it, he was crying.

He appreciates Minseok’s and Jongdae’s company, and he loved the odd feeling of being somewhere unfamiliar but he never knew that he would end up doing this… for the rest of his life. Or so he thought.

Byun Baekhyun is lonely.

He wipes his tears away and looks at the stars one last time, closing his eyes before he let out a breath. He wishes that he would be in a much happier place.

So he stepped back inside the diner, feeling the weight on his shoulders drop. The moment he entered, a shooting star flew above the flickering diner lights in the midst of the black skies dotted with stars and the luminescent moonlight.

Baekhyun picked up the mop he placed by one of the seats, his movements slow and steady as he cleaned the floor.

That night he felt eerily calm, with the low hum of instrumental music accompanying him over the speakers, as he dances graceful steps with his make-do dance partner. Jongdae was in the kitchen, probably doing some cleaning up as well, because Baekhyun could hear the sound of rustling and moving boxes from there.

He was spinning around, twirling the mop in his slender fingers, following the rhythm.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Baekhyun was sweeping the dirty, dusty stairs in front of the diner, like he usually does every morning. It was 9 a.m. and Baekhyun got used to the feverish temperature from working in the desert.

The sun hangs fiery and golden above him in the cerulean skies. There were clouds, but distortedly shaped as it was blown by the breeze.

His small white server cap sitting nicely on his head didn’t do such a great job at blocking the sun’s glaring beams, so Baekhyun quickly finished the rest of his work before he leaned on the entrance for a while to get some shade under the diner’s awnings.

He was about to close his eyes until he saw an open-top car, polished and shiny in black, stopping right in front of the diner. The driver got out from his car, and in that moment Baekhyun nearly forgot how to breathe.

The man was tall and wearing an expensive looking suit that accentuates his nicely-cut figure. He had sleek black hair that was coiffed into perfection, despite driving in an open-top car.

_He looked like Adonis just descended from heaven wearing Armani from head to toe._

Baekhyun’s mouth felt dry, then he realised that his mouth had been hanging open in surprise.

Then the man took off his shades, pocketing them in his breast pocket. He had deep, sharp eyes that seemed to be glinting when he looked into Baekhyun’s.

Baekhyun blinked for a moment before he licked his lips, feeling nervous. His hands briskly smoothed down his striped apron and slacks. The man walked closer, and Baekhyun stepped back to make way for his customer.

Of course, being polite, he bowed down a bit as he pushed the door open just as the stranger entered.

Baekhyun followed behind, the door chiming as he closed the door back in place, leaving the broom outside.

The music playing in the background was Engelbert Humperdinck’s ‘Quando, quando, quando’ and Baekhyun felt skittish before he went behind the counter, making himself at place.

The mysterious man stood in the middle of the diner, still looking perfect as ever, as if he didn’t just drive in the humid desert.

In a suit.

Baekhyun felt a bit clueless seeing him just standing there, so he spoke first to break the awkward air between them.

“Hello. How may I help you?”

The man arched an eyebrow before he looked at his surroundings, then at Baekhyun again.

“Well, I’m here to dine, aren’t I?”

This time it was Baekhyun who gave a questioning look, his eyes trailing the movement of the mysterious man who made his way into one of the plush red booths.

“Why are you just standing there? Serve me.” The man spoke, rubbing his eyes as he waved one hand in the waiter’s direction. “Please.”

Baekhyun pouted and nodded to himself, as he glided the menu over the countertop and into his hands before he walked over to the man. He slid the menu in front of him, and fished out his notepad and a pen from his chest pocket. The man glanced at Baekhyun’s feet, scoffing.

“Did you really have to make your shoes match the floor, Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun was surprised how the man knew his name, but then he remembered that he wore a nametag. Then he peeked at his shoes, only noticing that his checkered canvas shoes really did match the black and white tiles of the diner.

“Says the man who’s wearing a suit in a desert.” Baekhyun countered jokingly. He was relieved that he’s feeling more confident now, because it was starting to get uncomfortable being silent around a customer.

But then the man lightly chuckled, and Baekhyun thought he looked much friendlier and approachable.

“Touché.”

And Baekhyun looked at the warm smile just a bit more before he came to his senses.

“Right. May I take your order, Mister…?” Baekhyun snapped, as if he was in a trance.

He didn’t want to stare like a creep for too long, so he gripped his pen tightly, hovering it above the notepad.

“Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol.” He replied, but his eyes were looking somewhere else.

Baekhyun, out of curiosity, looked behind him as well.

Jongdae appeared out of the kitchen, his head poking out from the door.

“Ah. Finally, a customer. Welcome!” He greeted, flashing a smile to the two men in front of him. “I would love to talk some more, but I’m sure you can see—Uh, how busy I am right now...”  Jongdae mumbled as he hastily took a few bottles of condiments from the shelf by the door, right before he disappeared back inside the kitchen.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun glanced at each other for a solid five seconds before Chanyeol looked away.

He cleared his throat, pointing to one of the meals on the menu.

“I’ll have this ‘Classic Burger’ and a strawberry milkshake.”

Baekhyun scribbled down the order, and asked Chanyeol if there was anything else he wanted. The man shook his head lightly, and the waiter called out the order to Jongdae.

Chanyeol tapped his fingers on the smooth white diner table, his chin resting on his palm. The song currently playing is ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ by The Beach Boys, and Baekhyun hummed along as he prepared Chanyeol’s beverage.

He drizzled some thick whipped cream on the drink, topped by a bright red strawberry. A curly straw was placed on the side of the tall glass and put on a tray.

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun while he worked, observing the smaller man’s careful and gentle movements. He noticed from the back that Baekhyun had a mullet that suited his auburn hair.

“Order up!” Jongdae yelled from the aperture, his finger tapping the bell as he slid the plate on the surface. The aroma of grilled meat filled the air, and the meal looked as delicious as it smelled.

Baekhyun placed the plate next to the milkshake, laying down a napkin with a fork and knife. He even prepared a packet of wet tissue. Just in case.

He carried the tray and walked over to Chanyeol, anticipating his meal.

“I thought fast food were usually consumed without using cutlery?”  Chanyeol asked when he saw the fork and knife conveniently placed inside the folded napkin.

Baekhyun looked at him and crossed his arms.

“Well, yeah. But you don’t seem like the person who would eat a greasy burger using your bare hands.”

“Oh really? Watch this then.”

Chanyeol picked up the burger using both of his hands, fingers gently pressing onto the bun, as he inched closer to take a clean bite off it. He continued doing so for a few bites before he put it back on the plate, like he was already full.

Baekhyun stared, unsure whether he was astonished or supposed to act like he was.

Meanwhile, Chanyeol tore open the wet tissue packet and cleaned his fingers, then dabbing his mouth with the napkin. He took a sip from the milkshake, the whipped cream and strawberry still in place.

It was kind of funny to see a man wearing a suit, drinking a milkshake from a curly straw.

Baekhyun felt intrigued at this peculiar customer, so he sat down on the seat opposite Chanyeol.

“Hope you don’t mind.”  Baekhyun spoke, a small smile on his lips.

“Oh, sure. It‘s weird to have a waiter to just stand there and observe how his customer eats. By the way, send my compliments to the chef.”

Baekhyun’s eyes darted to the strawberry, ignoring Chanyeol’s words. He wanted to see how the man would react if he took it.

In a flash, Baekhyun swiped the fruit off the milkshake, dipping it into some whipped cream and popped it into his mouth. Chanyeol had a stunned look on his face.

“You said you didn’t mind.” Baekhyun tried to stifle his laugh.

“What kind of waiter are you, stealing his customer’s food.” Chanyeol tsked.

It was nice, fooling around with a stranger like this. In that moment, Baekhyun had a warm feeling surging through his bones.

“There, there. I’ll make you another one next time.” Baekhyun leaned forward and patted Chanyeol’s hand unintentionally, before he pulled away in embarrassment. “Uh. Sorry.”

Chanyeol glanced at his hand, then let out a cough. He looked shy.

“No need to patronise me. I’m pretty sure I’m older than you anyway.”

“I’m twenty-four.” Baekhyun quipped, still feeling a bit foolish from his action earlier.

“I’m twenty-seven. Chanyeol responded stiffly. “You look like you have something more to say. Go ahead. I’ll answer anything. Given the appropriate circumstances, of course.” He continued.

“I do have some questions in mind…” Baekhyun rubbed his chin, as if he were brainstorming.

“First. Why are you wearing a suit?”

Chanyeol ‘hmph’-ed in amusement.

“No particular reason. I like wearing it.”

“Even in the desert?”

“Even in the desert.”

Baekhyun was about to ask his next question, before he was interrupted by Minseok entering the diner.

“Baekhyun! How are you? Oh—is that a customer? That explains the fancy car outside.” Minseok greeted, taking off his baseball cap and ruffling his hair.

“Hey there. I was just chatting with Chanyeol here. Chanyeol, this is the owner of the diner and the rest-stop next door.” Baekhyun introduced Minseok to Chanyeol, his hand gesturing towards his boss.

“Nice to meet you, Minseok. I like your diner. You do have a fine establishment, and—” Chanyeol said, side-eyeing Baekhyun, “…quirky staff.”

Minseok glanced at Baekhyun and smiled. “Nice to meet you too, Chanyeol. I’m glad you liked the place, but what did my employee do this time?”

“This time?” Chanyeol prompted, arching one brow.

“Heh. This fella here’s quite a cheery one... He’s responsible, but pushy and annoying. That’s why he enjoys doing things out of the blue like pulling jokes on others.” Minseok explained, clapping Baekhyun’s back.

Baekhyun gave a look that told Minseok to shut up before he got to say anything else that would embarrass him in front of Chanyeol, but he butted in the conversation anyway. 

“Don’t trust this grandpa. One time he couldn’t tell which was sugar and salt, and I ended up serving three people salty milkshakes because of that.” Baekhyun whispered to Chanyeol, pretending that Minseok wasn’t there as he covered his mouth.

“It was late at night anyway, and you asked me to put them in those jars, so I did! It’s all settled anyway, the customers got a refund.” Minseok said, and placed his hands on his hips.

“Yeah. And high blood pressure.” Baekhyun snickered in delight, as Minseok playfully punched his shoulder. Chanyeol let out a laugh as well, entertained by these two.

“Now what’s with all this noise?” Jongdae burst from the kitchen, putting down a few boxes on the floor.

“Minseok, fancy seeing you here! Already done checking up on the rest-stop?” Jongdae’s expression changed, softening a bit when he saw Minseok.

The older man nodded, then approached Jongdae. “Yixing assured everything’s well, looks like the deal’s been done.”

“Is that so? Well, I still need help clearing out some things, come here.” Jongdae motioned for Minseok to follow him, and then they were out of sight.

“So, shall we continue where we left off?” Chanyeol spoke, relaxing himself onto the soft seat.

“Oh right. I was surprised Minseok didn’t ask you about your suit, but never mind that. I was gonna ask you where you came from, if you don’t mind.” Baekhyun dragged the milkshake to him and gulped it down until it was left quarter in the glass.

Chanyeol can only watch and shake his head.

“You were so much well-behaved before I talked to you.”

“Can’t blame me. I was starstruck.”

Chanyeol’s eyes shined. “Starstruck? By me?” He pointed his thumb to his chest, like he didn’t quite believe what Baekhyun just said.

“Now don’t get so haughty, I mean, anyone would look at a sharply-dressed stranger in a desert like that.” Baekhyun muttered. “But I do admit, you are attractive.” He sipped more of the milkshake.

Chanyeol looked pleased with himself.

“Thank you. I guess you could say I dress to impress. But it’s not like there is much to impress in the first place…” Chanyeol said, his tone lowering at the end of sentence, as if he was mumbling to himself.

“By the way, I’m actually just travelling here and there because I wanted to take a break from life. It’s been stressful.”

Baekhyun saw a solemn expression from the older man, it almost seems that Chanyeol was also feeling lonely.

Like him.

But Baekhyun didn’t want to feel sad, because he was starting to like Chanyeol.

‘Prisoner of Love’ by Etta James played from the speakers, accompanying the two.

The sat in silence for a while, before Chanyeol spoke again.

“What are you thinking so deep about? If you’re feeling guilty or anything then don’t—”

“Do you think its fate?” Baekhyun jerked his head upwards, a half-smile plastered on his face.

“Huh?” Chanyeol tensed, his face going blank.

“Fate. Us. I think its fate that you and I met.” Baekhyun spoke, as if in a whisper. His smile faded.

“Because I got lonely. And you came here, and I immediately felt at home with you. So when you said you’d been stressed I assumed you ran away from your problems as well.” His words came out sounding forceful, and Chanyeol realised that Baekhyun was trying to hold back his tears.

Chanyeol wanted to comfort Baekhyun, so he stood up from his seat to sit next to Baekhyun, his arms wrapped around Baekhyun’s shoulders. The younger man let out a choking sob, tears pooling in his eyes.

“Baekhyun. We’re still strangers.” Chanyeol pulled in Baekhyun closer to him. Somehow, it felt like they’ve been doing this forever. Chanyeol thought it wasn’t awkward nor uncomfortable at all to act like this with Baekhyun.

“But that doesn’t mean that I won’t believe its fate too, the reason why we met.” His thumb inched closer to Baekhyun’s face, sliding the tears away gently.

“Like this diner’s the Polaris. And you and I, we’re Dubhe and Merak.” Chanyeol breathed softly, like he was telling a bedtime story to a child.

“Chanyeol.”

“Yes, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol rested his chin Baekhyun’s head.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Baekhyun hushed, his hand creeping up to Chanyeol’s.

Chanyeol chuckled, opening up his hand to interlace Baekhyun’s fingers with his. 

“Dubhe and Merak are the two outermost stars among the others that make up Big Dipper. They also act as pointer stars that lead to Polaris, or the North Star.”

Baekhyun turned his head towards Chanyeol, looking up at him in confusion.

“So you’re saying that this diner, is the North Star? What do you mean by that?”

Chanyeol pursed his lips.

“Hmm. I guess this diner is some sort of North Star. Because, without you and me as ‘pointer stars’, we would never find …” He paused.

“Huh. I guess it doesn’t make any sense.” Chanyeol said quietly, his warm expression turning into a stern one.

“No, wait. I think I understand. Like, say if we never met—then we wouldn’t know that we found fate,” Baekhyun paused as his hands waved around excitedly, “This diner’s not the Polaris, but more as a metaphor for fate!”

Chanyeol inhaled deeply, a slow smile forming on his face.

“Oh. That makes way more sense. You’re right.”

“…And no matter where we go, no matter what time, we will always point to the direction that’s fated for us to be.” Baekhyun exclaimed, his face shining brightly.

“So as long as I’m with you, we’ll always point to ‘north’ or ‘fate’, like you said? And we wouldn’t be lost if we were always connected, is that what you’re implying?”

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, a grin forming on his face.

“This is a funny and confusing analogy, but in a way, it’s somehow fitting.”  Chanyeol laughed, rubbing his forehead. “Either way, it’s my fault for bringing up this nonsense.”

“Nah. That’s sweet.” Baekhyun chirped. “Don’t put too much thought into it, or else your hairs gonna turn grey.”

“Even if my hair was grey, you’d still be starstruck looking at me.” Chanyeol joked.

Baekhyun only let out an ‘hmm’ of approval.

It was quiet again, before Baekhyun spoke.

“You’re going to think I’m crazy for saying this, but what if we’re actually fated to be lovers?” he gushed.

Chanyeol paused for a while, taken aback from the sudden confession.

“Then we’ll be lovers then.”

That was all that Chanyeol said, his hands gripping Baekhyun’s tightly.

“We’ll be lovers.” He repeated.

They both sat like that for a while, before Baekhyun fell asleep on Chanyeol’s chest, followed by Chanyeol moments later.

***

 

“I told you, Baekhyun likes to cause trouble.” Minseok said flatly, his arms folded.

“Doesn’t look like trouble to me. But do you think we should we wake them up?” Jongdae chimed in.

“Later, leave them just like this for a while.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Baekhyun woke up in a daze, feeling the slow thumping sound of Chanyeol’s heart and warm embrace.

His face reddened from being vulnerable in front of Chanyeol earlier and being held like this, so he pried the older man’s hands away from him carefully.

“Hm? Did I wake you up, Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun jumped at Chanyeol’s sudden response, letting out a relieved sigh.

“No, I think I should apologise for acting like a loser in front of you, and I probably ruined your suit as well.” Baekhyun moved away from Chanyeol, giving them some space.

Chanyeol ducked his head at his suit, smoothing it down a bit. “No worries. I wanted to comfort you.”

Right. Baekhyun thought that it was unbelievable how he actually cried and had an emotional breakdown, and the next thing you know they were babbling about stars and fate before they ended up cuddling together.

It was starting to get dark, so Baekhyun told Chanyeol to stay at the rest stop’s motel for now.

The two of them then walked outside, looking at the twinkling stars that adorned the obsidian skies. Baekhyun reminded Chanyeol of their earlier conversation, which earned him a playful shove. They stopped by his car to take Chanyeol’s duffel bag that contained his personal belongings and some clothes.

Minseok and Jongdae were anticipating the two in front of the rest stop, already preparing dinner for everyone. Yixing, Minseok’s close friend was there too as something important was going to be announced. There were no other visitors that night, so they had the place to themselves.

They were gathered at the tiny hall in the reception, enjoying their meal on the sofas.

Minseok finally announced that Yixing was going to buy the land from him, and the rest-stop and diner will be closed down forever after only three years of service. Jongdae already knew, that’s why he was busy the past few days taking off all the things from the kitchen and packing them into the boxes. And tomorrow they’ll finally clear up the whole diner in preparation for demolition soon.

Baekhyun was surprised, of course, as he had very fond memories with the Minseok and Jongdae, the two men that saved his life. He was also a bit sad because the diner did have sentimental value to it, how he danced and sang with Jongdae sometimes when there were no customers. Or even if there were any customers, he’d enjoy talking with them and hearing stories about their journeys.

But Baekhyun respected Minseok’s decision.

The only problem was he didn’t have anywhere to go after that. The diner and the rest-stop had been his temporary home for only a year now.

They were still going on about it, and Baekhyun was in his own world. But after seeing the colour being drained from Baekhyun’s face, Jongdae assured him that he is more than welcome to live with him and Minseok.

Chanyeol only sat in silence, focusing on their words. He had something else in mind.

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next morning, Baekhyun was leaning on Chanyeol’s motel door, a mineral water bottle in hand. He knocked a few times to wake Chanyeol up.

Chanyeol got up from bed and was immediately flustered to be seen like this, even though he was dressed appropriately. He fell asleep with his suit pants and dress shirt, his tie and jacket discarded on the floor.

“Good morning sweetheart. You left the door unlocked, that’s dangerous.” Baekhyun called. “Anyways, I’m here to tell you that breakfast’s ready at the diner. Here’s some water for you too.” He tossed the bottle on to Chanyeol’s bed, landing with a thump.

Before Chanyeol got to say anything, he turned to see that Baekhyun had already gone. He uncapped the bottle and gulped it down before he changed his clothes, wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. He didn’t bother to style his hair much, so he just ruffled and fixed it a bit.

He folded his suit from last night into his duffel bag, zipping it up before hoisting it onto his shoulder.

Baekhyun waited for Chanyeol outside, wearing a flannel with an undershirt and slacks. He was dressed much more casually, knowing that he won’t be working in the diner anymore.

“Good morning, Baekhyun. I didn’t get to say thank you for the water earlier.” Chanyeol greeted him with a smile.

“My, what a gentleman! It’s only a bottle of water.” Baekhyun inclined his head towards hearing Chanyeol’s voice. Upon seeing the duffel bag, he furrowed his brows. “Leaving already?”

“Well, I actually had a plan in mind to bring you home with me.”

Baekhyun’s eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I want to bring you home. We’re lovers, aren’t we?”

Chanyeol stepped closer towards Baekhyun, palming his cheek. He looked down into Baekhyun’s eyes, seeing the uncertainness in them.

“I mean it. Listen here, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said in a hushed tone.

“When you told me about the possibility of us being lovers…I believed it. When you told me you felt at home with me, I felt it too. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never fallen in love this quick with anyone. And I’m usually an observant man. But then you just had to look at me with those beautiful, warm eyes of yours—and I’m done for.”

Baekhyun gulped.

But Chanyeol wasn’t done talking just yet.

“There are so many things I want to know about you, Baekhyun. So many little things that I’ll promise to appreciate and cherish all my life. I don’t think I can ever leave this place, knowing you for only a short while and missing the chance to get to know you better and spend the rest of my life with you.” Chanyeol confessed, his hand caressing Baekhyun’s face.

“Did you just—did you just propose to me?” Baekhyun squeaked. “Did you actually propose to a scrawny stranger like me?”

“Don’t speak of yourself like that! You’re not scrawny. I genuinely like you for who you are, even if we’re crazy for only knowing each other for a day.” Chanyeol assured. “And so what if I sound like I’m proposing? What makes you think that I won’t do that even if we knew each other very well?”

Baekhyun let out a laugh. He really couldn’t believe his luck. His eyes started to swell and tear up, because it suddenly hit him that he wasn’t going to be lonely anymore. This strange, kind man in front of him actually professed his love out of the blue right in front of Baekhyun’s face.

 

_‘The universe works in mysterious ways.’ Baekhyun thought._

_‘What did I do to have met Chanyeol?’_

 

“Are you crying? Don’t cry, I’m here.” Chanyeol hugged him closer now, placing his hand on the small of Baekhyun’s back, while his thumb wiped away the tears off of Baekhyun’s face like he did at the diner.

Baekhyun got a hold of himself and cleared his throat before he talked again.

“If you’re proposing, Chanyeol, then let me give you my answer.”

 

And so, the younger man tip-toed to reach Chanyeol’s height, his hands wrapped around Chanyeol’s neck.

Baekhyun’s face was merely inches from Chanyeol’s now, the close proximity making his heart race and it felt like it was going to burst anytime soon.

He understood what Baekhyun was trying to do, so he gave a gentle nod.

Baekhyun tilted his face carefully, before he leaned into the kiss, closing the distance left between them.

Chanyeol’s eyes went round before he closed them as well, trying to burn the memory of his first kiss with Baekhyun into his mind.

It lasted only a few seconds but it felt like a lifetime, and Baekhyun was the one to pull away with a gasp, only to flash a bright grin to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol’s face reddened still, as he was at a loss for words.

 

“You’re cute when your calm and composed veneer is exposed by just a kiss.” Baekhyun teased.

Chanyeol bit his lip, looking away for a moment before he lowered his head in embarrassment. “Shut up, I’ll work on it.”

“I look forward to that.”

 

* * *

 

The arrived for breakfast pretty late at the diner, but they reveled in their last moments at this fortunate place.

Minseok and Jongdae were surprised but pleased to hear that Baekhyun was finally happy to have found the missing piece in his life that came in the form of an awkward, tall man by the name Park Chanyeol.

They were also told that Baekhyun’s going to be living with him from now on, and it was a bittersweet moment for them all over again.

“Aww, Baekhyunnie’s all grown up now. I’m proud of you.” Jongdae cooed, hugging Baekhyun tightly.

Then it was Minseok’s turn to hug Baekhyun. “We’ll miss you a lot, Baekhyun. Promise us you won’t forget us.”

“I’ll never forget you guys. I’ll visit, promise.” Baekhyun replied, lifting up his pinky finger.

Chanyeol shared a hug with Minseok and Jongdae too, although it was a bit awkward because of the height difference, but they managed.

“Thank you for taking care of Baekhyun, you better treat him good.” Minseok patted his shoulder.

“Oh, definitely. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ll make sure Baekhyun lives the happiest life he ever lived. Swear on my life.” Chanyeol stood up straight, raising his hand. They all shared a laugh with each other before it was time to leave the diner for good.

Baekhyun didn’t have much belongings in the first place, so he just stuffed a bag with the things he brought from home a long time ago into Chanyeol’s car.

“All done?” Chanyeol asked, turning his keys in.

“Yeah.” Baekhyun said, sitting next to Chanyeol, looking back at the diner one last time and they both turned to wave at Minseok and Jongdae.

“Then what are we waiting for?” The older man smiled, holding Baekhyun’s hands and gave it a gentle peck it to reassure him. Baekhyun softly nodded and smiled at him.

Chanyeol pressed the ‘Play’ button on his radio, and ‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag’ by James Brown blasted through the speakers.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Baekhyun laughed, bopping along to the music as Chanyeol started to drive them home in the open-top car, like in those cliché endings of the movies, with the breeze blowing in their faces.

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, and he knew, that home wasn’t really a place. It was him.

He knew they were soulmates, destined together eternally.

 

 


End file.
